T’ai Chi Kung

T’ai Chi Kung is a combination of the ancient practice of Tai Chi and QIGong. It is said that QIGong began about 3000 years ago and Tai Chi about 1200 years ago. They were developed to enhance one’s body, mind and overall well-being.
Chi is the vital energy or essence of life and Kung is the practice or utilization of that energy.
Tai Chi is often defined as the supreme ultimate energy therefore T’ai Chi Kung is the practice and use of the supreme ultimate energy or essence of life. Understanding how life flows naturally is the key.
When a person learns to recognize and direct life’s natural energy one becomes more connected with the whole of life and with the energy that circulates throughout the body, the earth and the universe.
Illness is often caused by excess or deficiencies when the energy of life is blocked within the body, its natural healing ability diminishes.
The daily practice of Tai Chi and QIGong has helped many bring the body, mind, motion and spirits back to a natural flow and balance promoting better health and inner peace. For some a sense of gratitude or an awe of life begin to enlighten their spirit. Many report the daily practice help strengthen the body, adds flexibility to muscles and joints. Reduces stress while increasing energy in bringing peace and clarity to the mind. Promotes clarity, sensitivity and optimism and enhances balance physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Circular outer movements calm the mind which then calms the body muscles and organs which then allows the blood to circulate more freely, aid digestion, clarity to mind and enhanced physical vitality. Circles within circles – life moving in and out effortlessly.
T’ai Chi Kung is movement without effort and for some prayer in motion. T’ia Chi Kung is balancing one’s self within life’s natural flow.

Hello everyone and welcome to T’ia Chi Kung. I will take you through the movements and I want you to enjoy, relax and be patient with the learning process and have fun.

1) Namaste
First part is to put our feet together, hands come up into a prayerful pose. Now center yourself within. Once you feel calm within then bow and use the word Namaste meaning “the spirit in me honors the spirit in you.”
– Once you come up straight the hand floats down very softly by your sides.
– Once the hands come down to your sides put the weight on your right leg
– pick up the left leg and shift shoulder width to the side.
– Balance yourself so your feet are parallel to each other, bend your knees slightly.
We’re going to go into the first QIGong form called
2) Calming the Breath

– Palms faced up
– slowly breathing in through your nose straighten your legs up
– as the hands come up to the neck area
– turn the palms up towards heaven and as you raise the hands to heaven exhale sinking down in your knees slightly
– turn the hands over, now facing downward
– start to breathe in as you straighten up your legs again
– as you float your arms down and out to the side
– Slowly exhale as you bring the two palms towards each other
– sinking in your knees softly
– turn the palms over
– breath in as softly bring them in towards the chest and
– exhale as you sink down on your knees and
– bring hand down in front of waist area.

From this point we are going to go into what is called

3) Painting with Light.
– The arms float up, the wrist relaxed
– straightening the legs as the arms come to the shoulder height.
– once it gets to this height sink the legs softly and pull the arms down.

4) Calming the Waters of the Heart
– Once the arms come all the way down to the thigh area slightly shift the weight to the right, ,keep your elbows close to your body and just let the forearm and hands float up,
– step out with the left leg at an angle.
– Slowly pull the hands in towards your chest and
– shift the weight forward as you push your arms out straight.
– Once they get here just part the hands slightly and make a small circle.
– Lift your toes up as you come back,
– as you shift forward keep your back foot flat to the floor, keep your knees soft and relax.
– As we shift forward this time the weight will be on the left leg.
– We gently pick up the right leg, step out on an angle,
– float the hands gently across, once the hands get here adjust your back foot accordingly
– Shift the weight back and part the hands called Calming the Water
– Glide forward, shift the weight back

5) Circle the Globe – front
– As we shift forward this time the weight is now on our right leg
– while keeping relaxed
– pick up the left leg while forming a ball
o left hand on top as we shift to the left.
– shift the weight to the left
– slowly roll the ball over, right hand now on top
– when you shift the weight to the right let the body move the arms, let the body control the arms
o make this the effort of no effort
– once we get to the right side
– take the left leg, step out at an angle
– and roll the ball over gently across
– roll the ball over, right hand on top as you shift back.
– Left hand is on top as I shift it forward,
– as I shift back I bring the left leg back parallel to the right.
– Float the arms and body to the left
– step with the right leg out thru same process
– right hand on top as you go forward
– the left hand is on top as you shift back.
– This time as you shift the weight forward bring your left leg up parallel

6) Parting the Horse’s Mane

– Glide our arms with the ball to the left, turn ball over slowly and now to the right.
– Now we step out with the left leg and Parting the Horses Mane – the left palm comes up approximately neck height, the right hand is facing down towards mother Earth, shift the weight back
– turn the foot out slightly and shift the weight forward
– once the weight is on your left leg the right hand comes underneath while picking up the right leg
– step off and glide the hand to the other side to the right
– shift the weight back, turn the foot out slightly, shift the weight forward
– pick up the left leg and the left hand comes under and step out to the left.
– We will do one more
– turn the foot slightly out, shift the weight forward, right hand comes underneath
– and step up to the right
– bring the left leg parallel to the right leg

7) Circle the Globe
– form your globe ball again and circle to the globe
– circle the ball to the right side

8) Waves of the Universe

– once we circle to the right side we step forward with the left leg
– push down – called waves of the universe (bring/float arms up)
– relax the wrist and float it down
– push down, relax the wrist and make a big circle
– this time the hands push down then come halfway up
– then shift to the right, the weight is now on your back leg
– take the left leg to the side
– float the arms across, as the arms come over, the weight is on your left leg
– pull the arms into your chest
– pick up the right leg step forward and push down
– and now we will do one on the right side
– this time as the hands come down they come halfway up
– shift to the left and take the right leg to the side
– float the arms gently across as they come down
– they come down on an angle, once they get here (towards your side)

9) Snakes’ Tongue with Circle Fist – L & R

– for your left leg in to make a ”T”
– step gently back out
– pick up the right hand, as it floats up by your head as it starts to come down the weight is on the left leg
– pick up the right leg and left arm and go into Snake’s Tongue
– I lock my right leg behind my left knee (note – if not able to cross and lock legs an option is to just have your legs come together)
– turn the hand over, make a fist, circle, fist
– now the hands open up overhead – called Sun Rising
– step to the right
– bring the left leg in behind the right leg and Snake Tongue to the right
– turn the hand over make a fist, circle, fist.

10) Cradle the Heart

– Now we open the hands we come up and step to the left
– bring your hands up to your heart and cradle the heart

11) Hit the Tiger Left and Right

– put the weight on your right leg and step to the left again and Hit the Tiger
– at this point my left hand/fist is about forehead height and the right hand/fist about chest
– now my hands will open up
– bring your left leg in
– hands come behind the back
– step to the right
– hit the Tiger to the right
– right hand is at four head height and left hand about chest height
– open the hand and float them across
– bring the right leg in as you sink down

12) Feel the Energy & Grasp Bird Tail

– Once your hands come down put the weight on the right leg
– step with the left leg and go into Feeling the Energy
– my left palm is by my navel the right palm is floating across
– now I switch hands
– my right palm is by my navel and left hand is floating
– let the feet be glued to the floor as you shift the weight at the waist
– at this point I take my left hand and push it across my chest
– take the right hand and push across the chest
– gliding with the weight of the body and legs and turning in the waist slightly
– once I get to this point (midway on body) I step with the left leg
– step out on an angle and push slowly with the right hand out
– turn the right palm by the navel again floating it back
– at this point my left foot is flat it doesn’t raise
– I push turn the hand over and float back keeping my foot flat in front of me
– as I push this time the weights on the left leg
– pick up the right leg and step on an angle
– push off to the right side
– again keeping my foot flat and in front of me
– Now as I push forward this time bring the left leg up parallel
– float the arms across and once I get to the right side the next transition is Focus the Arrow

13) Focus the Arrow

– Opened left hand slowly comes up about shoulder height
– touch the hands and push to the left
– once I get the hands out
– turn the left palm facing out
– make a fist with the right hand
– pull the string (right hand) slowly back straight across the body in front of the face and extend out
– stand and soften your knees
– open the hands
– shift the weight and both hands down to the left as you come up to the chest to shoulder height
– push the hands to the right, make a fist with the left hand and pull the string back
– shift to the right again bring both hands down
– (bring hand up to the shoulder)
– come up to the right shoulder, push again
– pull the string
– make a fist with the left hand
– pull the string back
– shift to the right again bring both hands down
– come up to your right shoulder push again
– pull the string
– release opening up the hand
– we will do one more
– shift to the left
– (bring your hands up to the shoulder area)
– push, pull the string and open the hand – palm facing outward

14) Crane Hook with Single Whip – L

– At this juncture as our right hand floats in front of the face we make a Crane Hook wrapping your fingers around your thumb
– as you start to shift to the right
– the left-hand comes down and the right hand floats out to the side
– left hand comes up to the heart area
– we step out with the left leg
– we slowly turn the left palm over to the single whip
– both palms are slightly bent
– then lower your knees
– we rock back
– as I rock forward bring my right leg around parallel and fan – called Fan the Wind

15) Fan the Wind

– Palms facing outward
– one hand is by the mouth and the other below the navel
– fan the wind

16) Crane Hook with Single Whip – R
– Now at this point as I fan the wind to the right I make a Crane Hook with my left hand in front of my face
– as I shift to the left the right hand comes up to the chest area
– step and single whip to the right
– once we are in this position I shift the weight back
– shift forward bringing the left arm and left leg parallel to my right leg

17) Fan the Wind
– and fan again
– let the body move the arms

18) Crane Spreads Wings & stands on L leg

– once I start shifting to the left side I bring my right leg in and come into a soft close sinking down on our knees
– rising up, and doing Crane Spread Wings lifting the right leg up, arms extended with Crane Hooks on both hands
– step to the right
– open and fan the wind

19) Then fan the Wind
– and fan again

20) Crane Spreads Wings & stands on R leg

– once I get to the right I bring the left leg in and come into a soft close sinking down on our knees
– raising up, and doing Crane Spread Wings lifting the left leg up, arms extended with Crane Hooks on both hands
– step to the left
– open and fan again

21) Then Fan the Wind

– and fan the wind

22) Turn, Deflect, Shift and Punch to R

– now from this point I make a fist with my right hand
– weight is on the left leg
– pick up the right leg and
– and throw the arm down
– pull it back
– as a left hand goes out step forward with the left leg
– turn the left palm over and slowly punch through
– open palms and pull hands back
– bring hands over and push down
– and let them float up gently
– shift the weight back, pivot around on your left heel
– open the hands
– shift the weight to the left leg
– pick up the right leg and step to the right to Moving Through the Clouds

23) Moving Through the Clouds
– switch the hands, left hand up by the face, right hand is down below the navel
– now at this point we start shifting to the left
– we bring our right leg in
– turn waist slightly
– step with the left leg sinking softly in your knees
– bring the right leg and again and soften the knees
– step in again

24) Turn, Deflect, Shift and Punch: Cradle Heart\
– now what we’re going to do now is step with the left leg
– make a fist with the right hand
– pick up the right leg, step out
– and through the punch out
– pull the right hand back as the left hand and a left leg go out
– turn the left palm over
– slowly punch through, keep your back straight, open both palms
– shift the weight back
– push down and float the hands up
– shift the weight back, hands float up as you pivot to your left heel
– we now have our pigeon toed right leg
– pull the hands down as the weight shift to the left leg
– come into shoulder width as the hands cradle the heart

25) Lotus Flower Closing & Namaste
– once you’re here open the hands gently
– sink down in your knees
– once the hand comes down palms open and breathe in
– bringing your arms up above the head
– we call this the Lotus Flower Closing
– exhale down to the chest
– open the hands into a flower
– breathe in
– as you exhale close the flower making two fist very lightly
– now breathe in and push out to the universe
– as we exhale we open the palms and let go
– we come back into a prayerful pose
– bring the left leg in
– bow and say Namaste